Office workers are increasingly using jargon during the course of the working day – despite not always understanding what certain words or phrases mean.
According to a new study conducted by Wonga.com, 44 per cent of UK employees use clichés such as “thinking outside the box” and “it’s a no brainer” during the course of the working day.
Workers in London appear particularly prone to use jargon, with 37 per cent of those based in the City claiming to have used buzz words in a bid to impress colleagues.
The study found that employees in the East Midlands are the most straight-talking.
“There are two rules to good communication: say what you mean, and mean what you say,” Wonga.com’s Tim Phillips stated.
“Employees often complain about jargon in the office and the notorious office ‘waffler’ who struggles to make a clear point through all the clichés.”
He said that to break down the waffle, Britons should be more straight talking when conversing with their colleagues.
Mr Phillips said they “should stop pretending to think outside of that non-existent box”.
In the Wonga.com survey, respondents blamed TV shows for the rise of nonsensical phrases.
Many of those surveyed said they had picked up jargon from BBC shows The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den.
Other respondents said they had picked up phrases from their colleagues.
Male employees in particular said they had used jargon in workplace situations to increase their chances of promotion.
But whether this is having the desired effect is debatable, with calls for a return to ‘plain English’ seemingly increasing all the time.
